Obama’s pick for CIA could affect drone program

President Obama began his first term with a dramatic change of course for the CIA, issuing orders on his second day in office to close the agency’s secret prisons and ban harsh interrogation techniques. As Obama approaches a second term with an unexpected opening for CIA director, agency officials are watching to see whether the president’s pick signals even a modest adjustment in the...

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British PM "open-minded" on press regulation

LONDON: British Prime Minister David Cameron is keeping an open mind about the regulation of the press, his office insisted Saturday, after a newspaper report claimed he would reject full-blown state regulation.British newspapers are nervously awaiting the publication on Thursday of the first results from an extensive judge-led inquiry into press standards which could result in tougher...

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Assam's ethnic violence: Relief camps are empty but people are not back home

KOKRAJHAR (ASSAM): The food is running out, children are falling ill, her only saree is fraying, and so is her spirit, rambles Zohra bewa, or Zohra the widow, as she introduces herself, stepping out of her makeshift home - a blue tarpaulin sheet propped up by bamboos. Displaced on July 24, when her home in Sapkata village was burned down, the middle-aged woman and her children joined the human tide...

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Distant Dwarf Planet Secrets Revealed

Orbiting at the frozen edges of our solar system, the mysterious dwarf planet Makemake is finally coming out of the shadows as astronomers get their best view yet of Pluto's little sibling. Discovered in 2005, Makemake—pronounced MAH-keh MAH-keh after a Polynesian creation god—is one of five Pluto-like objects that prompted a redefining of the term "planet" and the creation of a new group...

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Polls offer little guidance for politicians tackling ‘fiscal cliff’

Politicians tasked with negotiating a deal next month to avoid the “fiscal cliff” can be thankful that their talks are taking place immediately after a clarifying national election that laid out exactly how the public wants Washington to deal with debt and deficits. Or n...

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Water Polo: Shock win for S'pore at Asian Swimming Championships

SINGAPORE: A bronze medal-finish from the 1986 Asian Games remains the most recent international result of note for the Singapore men's water polo team.But that may soon be bettered.This is because the Republic are on course to reach the semi-finals at the 9th Asian Swimming Championships in Dubai after skipper Eugene Teo's (picture) hat-trick propelled them to a shock 8-7 win over Asian...

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David Headley shadow over resumption of cricketing ties with Pakistan

NEW DELHI: The government on Thursday sounded a word of caution about the resumption of cricket ties with Pakistan saying that one of the main 26/11 accused, David Coleman Headley, had entered India on the pretext of watching matches. Minister of state for external affairs E Ahmed said the issue of visas to Pakistani nationals coming to India to watch cricket matches at various venues will be in...

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Distant Dwarf Planet Secrets Revealed

Orbiting at the frozen edges of our solar system, the mysterious dwarf planet Makemake is finally coming out of the shadows as astronomers get their best view yet of Pluto's little sibling. Discovered in 2005, Makemake—pronounced MAH-keh MAH-keh after a Polynesian creation god—is one of five Pluto-like objects that prompted a redefining of the term "planet" and the creation of a new group...

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2 Dead, Dozens to Hospital After 100-Car Pileup

At least two people died and more than 80 were injured after a 100-plus car pileup in Texas today, according the Department of Public Safety.A man and a woman died from their injuries, ABC News affiliate KBMT-TV reported. Their names were not immediately available.The DPS said it won't know the exact number of cars involved in the pileup until officials finish untangling the...

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Blazing a legal trail to help improve health care

Ariane Tschumi has spent more than a year in government as a Presidential Management Fellow (PMF), taking on challenging assignments at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) designed to develop her leadership skills and give her a window into how government operates. She has worked alongside health-care experts designing model programs intended to better health care and lower...

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